Charlie Vs Garret
The rivalry that shaped modern Ireland
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Footnote Press Ltd
Publishing:18th Sep '25
£23.99
This title is due to be published on 18th September, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
The two opposing political personalities that shaped Irish life in the 1980s and beyond.
The two opposing political figures that shaped Irish life in the 1980s and beyond.
In the 1980s, Irish politics was dominated by a fierce rivalry between Charles J.
The two opposing political figures that shaped Irish life in the 1980s and beyond.
In the 1980s, Irish politics was dominated by a fierce rivalry between Charles J. Haughey and Dr Garret FitzGerald, both leaders of their respective parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Between them they each led all Irish governments in that decade; to say their two opposing personalities shaped Irish life during this era is an understatement.
Eoin O'Malley has amassed an extraordinary body of research, including in-depth interviews with dozens of the most consequential public figures of the time, every Taoiseach, cabinet ministers, TDs, civil servants, and advisers.
As political rivals with different approaches to public life and contrasting visions for Ireland, each enshrined in quite different personalities, the choice between Haughey and FitzGerald came to signify a great deal more than party loyalty or policy preference: it felt like a choice between opposing worldviews. And, as O'Malley's work finally makes clear through an accumulation of extraordinary insights, including interviews with Haughey and FitzGerald themselves, it was fed by a deep reservoir of personal insecurity and paranoia. Each was deeply preoccupied - obsessed even - with the strengths, appeal and threats of the other, to the extent that this rivalry itself became one of the decisive factors in Irish life that shaped Ireland well after they had left power.
'Eoin O'Malley gets under the skin of both Garret FitzGerald and Charles Haughey in this outstanding dual biography to show how their rivalry shaped the nature of modern Ireland. A riveting study of character, class, and country' -- Gary Murphy * author of Haughey *
'Judgmental yet fair-minded, the book reminds us of the importance of the individual in politics. Only FitzGerald could have delivered the seismic Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985: and only Haughey - who initially dismissed it as heretical, partitionist, even treasonable - could manage the U-turn which had him working the agreement as part of the pathway to peace' -- John Bowman * historian and broadcaster *
'Eoin O'Malley is one of Ireland's most lucid and independently minded political thinkers. And Charlie vs Garrett is a contribution to our understanding of contemporary Ireland precisely in this vein. The combined effect of O'Malley's insight and access makes this essential reading' -- Finn McRedmond * journalist for The Irish Times and New Statesman *
'For anyone interested in great political rivalries, this book is an absolute must-read. Haughey and FitzGerald could not have been more different, and Eoin O'Malley tells the story of their mutual suspicion and rivalry in dramatic detail. A real page turner' -- Iain Dale * broadcaster, author and political commentator *
'A tour-de-force! Charlie vs Garret explores the influence that two political rivals exerted on the political, social and economic development of Ireland over several decades of the twentieth century. O'Malley brings the history of a sometimes turbulent political period to life with a narrative that is both compelling and comprehensive in its detail' -- Mary Harney, former Tánaiste
'A riveting read on the most intense political rivalry of the 1980s. The political contest between FitzGerald and Haughey defined a decade and this book expertly captures their political battles while sketching out their often intertwined political destinies. This systematic examination of the two titans of 1980s politics is long overdue' -- Theresa Reidy
ISBN: 9781804442685
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
320 pages